WasteDrive
SHORT FACTS
WasteDrive – Development of a fibre-reinforced electric scooter based on high-performance natural fibres from agricultural by-products
Duration:
06/2021 - 05/2025 (Module 1)
01/2021 - 12/2024 (Module 2)
Funding Body:
Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
In the international joint project WasteDrive, the three universities RWTH Aachen, University of Dar es Salaam and University of Mauritius are cooperating to establish the first "African Bio Composite Research Centre".
The research centre, which will be located at the University of Dar es Salaam, is to be developed into one of the hubs of biocomposite development on the African continent in the long term. Thematically, the research project involves the development of recyclable bio-based high-performance composites from pineapple leaf fibres.
In contrast to the glass fibre industry, which has access to a raw material that is equally distributed worldwide, the African continent is in a position of advantage, given that the cultivation of pineapples (and their leaves) means access to a highly innovative – and, so far, underutilised – raw material that is generated as a by-product of fruit production.
Since there are neither recycling nor specialised supply concepts and the fibrous material is very resistant to degradation, the leaves are currently burnt two to three times a year following harvesting. Unlike jute or sisal, which strongly impact soil quality, the use of pineapple leaves does not take up additional agricultural land, so there is no competition with food production. At the same time, WasteDrive explores a valuable material that offers a clear cost advantage compared to crops grown specifically for fibre production.
The project consists of two modules that together form a unit – the research module (Module 1) and the postgraduate education and training module (Module 2). It will be possible to transfer the results to oil palm leaf fibres, coconut fibres, and banana leaf fibres, resulting in an Africa-wide market of about € 1 billion at fibre level from inevitably generated by-products alone.
NATIONAL PROJECT PARTNERS
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Institute of Textile Technology (ITA), RWTH Aachen University (Coordinator)
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SACHSENLEINEN (subcontractor)
INTERNATIONAL PROJECT PARTNERS
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University of Dar es Salaam, Daressalam, Tansania
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University of Mauritius, Mauritius
FUNDING BODY
